VEHICLE MOTION
DIVISION
Machiko O.
Product Group Occupant Safety Systems
Customer Engineering
Technical Project Manager
Joined Bosch in 2015
Decision to change jobs based on interest in project management
At my previous job at an automobile-related parts manufacturer, I was involved in production technology that was close to the actual site of manufacturing. The turning point in my career was the experience of working for one year in the United States, an overseas base that I had always been interested in, using an internal recruitment program. I realized that new things that do not exist in the world are born from the interaction of people with diverse values, and I also learned that project management that handles and promotes differences in values and ways of thinking is important.
However, when I returned to Japan, I had almost no contact with other countries and I was faced with a situation in which there were very few project management roles, so I started looking for a global working environment and began job hunting. I wasn't particular about the industry or whether it was a foreign-affiliated company or not. But unlike the general image that foreign companies are highly competitive, I was attracted to Bosch's rather at-home corporate culture that I encountered through the selection process. So I decided to join Bosch. At the time, I didn't know that Bosch emphasized project management and provided extensive training, but looking back now, I think it turned out to be the best choice.
Leading projects and collaborating with Germany, India and Mexico
As a Technical Project Manager, I am responsible for the development team for the control unit that controls the deployment of airbags for a major Japanese automobile manufacturer. What makes this project unique is that it is a vehicle designed in Japan and sold in North America, and it has unique features geared for North American vehicles.
Furthermore, it is a large-scale global project in which four countries collaborate: Japan, a Bosch platform team in Germany, a software development team in India, and a manufacturing plant in Mexico.
As a technical project manager, my role is a counterpart to the customer's design department, and high quality requirements must be met. In addition, there are many people involved inside and outside the company, as well as in Japan and overseas, making this a highly difficult project in all respects. Due to the high level that is required, we have a lot to learn from our customers, and we feel that we are making good products together. Although the project is still in its infancy, we have received words of appreciation from our customers, and we feel that we are making steady progress toward our goal.
Have confidence in the experts and entrust in them to lead to the goal
What is important to me in project management is to always aim for overall optimization, and to guide project members so that they do not hesitate about how they should proceed. The key to achieving this is to clarify what the customer wants and to visualize as much as possible what should be done and by when. And when it comes to "how to do it", the key is to have confidence in the experts in each area and to entrust in them.
In my current project as well, I communicate closely with customers who require continuous improvement, and proceed with the project while clarifying the requirements upstream so that the post-process can proceed smoothly. Bosch's project management does not have any special methods, and it can be said that it adheres to the basics, but it places particular emphasis on project transparency. In addition, the fact that the processes and documentation are well organized may also be a characteristic of Bosch.
I have been in charge of the current project for several years already. I have been working on it for a long time, and when the day comes to complete it, I'm sure I'll have grown a lot as a project manager. When that day comes, I would like to take on the challenge of a new project that is yet unknown.
